Her Blue Phantom
by iZutara
Summary: There's a fine line between love and hate and he wont mind, but she does. Still, something's getting in the way. Something's just about to break. He will try to find his place,, in her heart.
1. The Blue Spirit

**Author's Note:**

**First of all, I'm NOT trying to steal anyone's idea. I know someone has already written about a zutara version to Phantom of the Opera, therefore, this story is NOT like that. Just because the title says so, doesn't mean it's gonna be like the movie plotline or whatever. So I'm NOT trying to copy anyone's idea!****

* * *

**

_The Blue Spirit,_

_Most wanted among the Fire Nation._

_For the escaping of the Avatar. _

_He dwelt in a watch tower, alone he lay._

_A blue mask he wore, hiding his image._

_His identity shown in the light, kept secret in the dark._

_Neither good or bad was he ..._

_For a girl would come along, to change him._

_His personality, his views, himself._


	2. Unknown

_Her body lay weak and tired on the soft dirt, unable to move.  
She began drifting into the darkness, her consciousness slowly creeping away from her, fainting into the black.  
And it wasn't a while until two arms picked her up and held her, walking away with her stiff body to somewhere unknown.  
Yet she hadn't noticed. For she was already gone... _

She woke up to find herself, not on dirty grounds, but on a soft bed. _Bed?_ Where was she? How did she get there? Who took her? Questions buzzed in her hurting head as she propped herself. Nothing but shadows...

"Hello?" she asked, now trembling in fear. "Sokka? Aang? Toph? Where are you guys? I - Is anybody there?" Nothing...

Pulling up the covers closer to her, she glanced around. A room. She was in a room. A rather small and ridget looking room though. The moon peered over to uncover walls, colored to depressing shades of gray... old pictures, of not people, but skies, mountains, lakes, volcanoes... and a masked figure, standing just by the door.

She let out a small scream, to which the figure rushed towards her and covered her mouth, so as to stop her. With it's hands muffling her, her sound slowly died out, back into silence again. It's hands felt warm, yet firm. A guy... It was a guy. Both stared at each other.

"Wh - who are you?" she asked, now wanting to cry. She was terrified!

"..."

"Um, hello? Wh - who are y - you?"

Yet no asnwer. Instead, he motioned to her to be quiet. Her tears finally poured out to the masked stranger infront of her.

"Wh - who are you!? Where am I? I - I want to go back! Now!"

He shook his head 'No'.

"_P - please_, please... don't... hurt... me." He gazed into her cerulean eyes, the moon reflecting onto it making it sparkle a bit. Again it shook his head and instead, cupped her face in its hands, wiping away those tears. She nodded. After a while, it lay her head back into the pillow, gently as he could. Brushing off the last of what she cried, he lightly carressed her, running his hand through her hair... and it wasn't long until she fell back asleep, _to his touch_.


	3. Empty

"Morning already?" said Aang, still in a sleepy voice. 

Yes, morning had come upon them before they knew it. He glanced around, Sokka snoring loudly, Toph sleeping peacefully, and Katara... wait, where WAS she? He rubbed his eyes again to see if he was dreaming. But surely, he was not. And this now was no dream for him, but a nightmare.

"Katara?"

He walked over to the _empty_ sleeping bag...

_Empty_. 

No signs or traces of the disappeared girl. 

"Katara? Katara where are you? Katara!?" he panicked, now walking around their camping and yelling her name out in every direction. Still no answer. 

Sokka awoke to the yellings of the twelve year old boy, now wondering what was up with him. Toph too awoke, for she could sense his racing heartbeat.

"Hey Aang, what's wrong?" he asked, yawning before getting up. Aang looked at him and frowned. He pointed over to the empty sleeping-bag his sister should've been in. 

Shock.

"KATARA!?" he yelled, frantically pacing around their camping grounds. "KATARA!!!"

No answer.

"Where's sugar-queen?" Aang looked at her before taking a deep sigh. 

"I don't know... she's, gone."

The blind earth-bender suddenly froze.

"Something's coming..."

Aang looked weary. He knew they probably couldn't fight them, not today after all their energy have been drained out from the day before. Yet he didn;t want to leave Katara behind. But they wouldn't... they'd go and find her. 

The water-tribe warrior strongly protested against leaving, but surely they had to go, for blue flames began to dart towards them.

"C'mon Sokka, let's go!"

"I say, we fight um'!"

"Not now! After all that running from them yesterday, we don't HAVE that much strength stored! Now c'mon! Once we get going away from them, the faster we go and find Katara!"

"Fine." grumbled the warrior. The three quickly scurried on Appa's saddle after gathering their supplies, and now were flying away.

Now to find Katara...

They flew everywhere. Called out her name every chance they got. Yet they weren't looking good enough.


	4. Wondering Fears

The afternoon sunlight had fully shown into the room and onto her face, interrupting her slumber with it's stinging rays. She groaned and sat up, looking around the room. Her thoughts wandering to last night, where had she been at the time? She couldn't remeber. What was she doing? She didn't know. Who was 'he'? She had no clue...

Now what? Walking up to the window, she breathed in deeply at the crisp air.

Down.

She looked down, only to find herself and a high position. The ground was far down. It suddenly hit her. A tower.

Yes, she was in a tower. Not a very high tower, it wasn't a castle, it was probably just a watch tower. Great.

Walking around the room, she saw a note that stuck on the doorknob. It read:  
_Don't leave.  
Wait for me.  
I'll be back..._

Chills went up her spine. What did this stranger want to do with her? She didn't know and didn't want to know. All she planned to do was get out. Get out now.

She twisted the doorknob. It wouldn't budge. More twists came until she gave up. Stuck. Stuck in somewhere she didn't know, with some she began to fear. Last night didn't matter. She was tired and couldn't care less. But today did. And so does when he comes back.

"Where are you guys..." she whispered, now beginning to cry. "Help me."

* * *

Zuko wandered the woods looking for some food. He's already picked berries and fruits good enough for two. Oh how he wished he still had his ship. Things were easier back then, not when his sister came to ruin everything, but when his mother was still alive. Then he remembered something from one of his journeys... 

_"My mother's necklace! How did you get that?" yelled the younger girl he tied to a tree. A look of frustration both in their eyes._

"So, that was her mother's. I wonder what happened to her." Yes, he wondered. He wondered about her past, then about his, then about the present. And from the viewpoints of those in this story, the present was NOT good.

* * *

Light in the room started to grow dim as the sun sank down. She continued to cry, for she knew she had to face 'him' when he came back... and she was scared. Moments later, the sun was no more, and the light slowly fainted away with it. Once again, the she lay in the pale darkness. There were candles nearby, but she had no matches or fire to start them. Silence... 

The door slowly burst open to reveal the masked figure once again. She watched him come closer in fear.

"Who are you!?"

"..."

"I said, WHO ARE YOU!?"

"..." Instead, he flared up the candles and set down the food by her. She gasped.

She was with a firebender...


	5. Let Me Go

**A/N: **Okay, so this is supposed to be after the episode 'The Chase'. But instead Katara gets hit by getting in the way of Iroh. So when she goes alone at night to find a river, in hopes of healing and bathing herself, right after that, she still is dizzy and weak from the injury. And so, while she tries to go back camp, she accidentaly goes in a direction that leads her farther and farther away from it instead. And when she finally collapses in the middle of nowhere, Zuko's there to pick her up again. And so, he brought her to this tower. It's not a bit tower, just the same sizes of trees. Or maybe smaller, since it's hidden in a place where the trees are really big.

And Iroh and Zuko split up. In this story, since Katara's the one that gets hurt, Iroh wanted to help, but Zuko urges to leave them instead. So they do that, and they leave. **I hope it hasn't confused you.**

* * *

Katara was shocked. She quickly backed up from the masked figure as she began to cry more. She was terrified! 

"Ge - Get away from me!" she shreiked. "You - you..."

The masked figure muffled her words by putting his hands atop her mouth so as to shush her.

"Shhhh..." he whispered. She grabbed hold of his hand and tried to pull it away, yet he pushed down harder. With the other free hand of his, he rose it to his mouth and motioned her to be quiet. She shook her head furiosuly so that he'll let go. Once he did, she began to scream again.

"Let me out of here! Who are you!? Let me out now!" she yelled. Slowly he got up and walked towards the candles, bobbing them up and down. She still continued her rantings and tears as he focused on the flames the whole time.

_I seriously wonder how many firebender does she actually know. Why hasn't she figured out it's me yet? I just bended the candles on. What, is she stupid or something? Ugh, she's yelling! Shut up peasant... I'm getting pretty sick and tired of you_ thought Zuko.

"Don't you dare touch me! Understand!? Don't you dare! I'm a master waterbender!" Upon realizing that, she felt her clothes if her waterskin had been there. Nope, nothing at all. Now she was defensless.

_I wouldn't even dream of touching you. Filthy little thing. Psh, 'master waterbender'. Yeah right. Master waterbenders don't leave their elements anywhere behind. _Zuko had wanted ever-so-much to shout at her already, but it would just ruin his plan.

"Tell me who you are!" she shouted. He walked over to the food that he set down for her. Grasping the spoon in his hand, he scooped up the food and held it out infront of her mouth. She looked questioningly at the spoonful of food infront of her. What the heck was wrong with him!? Here was some kind of stranger who was now feeding her... Kinda weird. For all she knew, this guy could even put poison in her food. She raised an eye brow as she shushed. "What do you think you're doing!?"

_Trying to shut you up and feed you, that's what. Hopefully this food will make you be quiet. Now eat little girl!_

"Hey! Get aw--" her words were cut off as the spoon of fruits speeded into her mouth, stuffing her so she won't say anything else. She tried to spit it back out, but the force of his hands wouldn't let her. So she had no other choice but to swallow it. "Hm... not bad. This taste goo-- You've poisoned me! I know you put something in there! It's poison!" she yelled out once again. He slightly growled under the mask in annoyance. But still, he had to keep his cool. So he shook his head 'No' in hopes of her settling for that. But nooo... she still ranted on. "Why can't you say something!? Speak!"

_"Speaking will just let you notice my voice and fight against me. Wouldn't want that to happen now, do we peasant? No, we don't. So I suggest you stop assuming things, especially about poisoning your food. If I wanted to kill you, I would've let you faint alone in the woods and on the cold hard ground, not caring about what beastly animal comes by to take you. I would've left you to die then and there. But where are you now? With me." _Zuko thought somemore. Though he mrely nodded his head to her.

"Stop it! I know you're not mute! Just speak! Why is that so hard for you!?" She stomped out of the bed and clenched her fist.

_I do want to speak, okay!? I want to tell you to shut-the-Agni-up!_

"Talk! Tell me who you are! Do s--" What came next shocked her. His body was pressed against her back as his left hand draped across her waist, pulling her into him, while his right hand covered her mouth. His warmth felt so comfoting to her as she began to blush. Either that, or it was the colors of anger. But as she shook her 'warm' thoughts and feelings away, she focused back on him, struggling to get out of his grasp.

_So much for 'not-gonna-touch-you'... I'm already cuddling you to make you shut up! What more do you want!?_

He whized her around to make her face him. In the moonlight, he could see her face, expressions full of anger and worry, of fear and a bit of embarrasment. Why was she embarrased? He had no idea.

Silence.

Both stared into the eyes of eachother, Zuko deep in the gaze of those blue sparkling orbs, and Katara glaring at the blackness of the eye sockets in the mask. But behind those eye sockets, she beagn to guess what eye color his were. The eye colors of Fire Benders differed from greyish hazel to shining gold. So she was plainly confused.

"Atleast... tell me what age you are." she demanded, breaking the silence up. He sighed and lifted his fingers up for her to see. Motioning it, he put 10 fingers up. "Okay, so you're 10?" He shook his head no, then changed it to seven fingers. "So you're 7?" Again he shook his head no. He kept puttin up ten and changing it to seven. Ten, seven, ten, seven.

_It makes seventeen you idiot!_

"What? I don't get it..." It tokk her quiet sometime to figure it out. "Oh, you're 17?"

_Finally_! He nodded., and pointing next to her.

"Oh, me?"

_Duh!? Who else is here besides the both of us!?_

"I'm... 15."

* * *

"We've lost them Azula. There's not even the slightest bison hair around." sighed Mai. All three plopping down on each of their sleeping bags. Azula didn't like this. She thought sleeping bags were for people who couldn't afford real beds. But there was no other choice. Bringing the futons were a little to exaggarant. Well, atleast she got to sleep in a tent big enough for the three girls to have enough space apart and away as possible. 

"Well we're gonna try harder!" she yelled, infuriated. Mai simply shrugged and once again went back to sharpening her daggers and Ty Lee twirled her hair, staring above for no apparent reason. "I knew I should've shot Uncle right away. Those traitors." she spat out viciouly. "That stupid waterbender just _had_ to get in the way! Well next time, that is not gonna happen. And I'll make sure of it." She grinned. Once again, no one else talked in the tent, until Ty Lee ofcourse got bored of the silence and began talking.

"Make sure of what Azula?" she asked. Azula growled at the cerry girl's annoyance.

"I just said it Ty Lee."

"Really? You did? I guess I wasn't liste--" A ball of blue fire formed in the firebender's hand as the acrobat gulped. "I mean, ofcourse I heard you! You're the princess! A very powerful one too! I've been listening to you, oh-great-princess." Azula laughed menacingly at the girl's words.

"I know Ty Lee. I know..."

* * *

"Phew. We've lost them! Finally!" shouted Toph gleefully hugging her rock tent. Aang and Sokka merely shrugged and went back to sulking. 

"Where was the last place she's gone too?" asked Sokka.

"To find a river. Right after you and Toph fell asleep, she said she wanted to go bath and maybe heal herself. She wanted to go alone, since we're both boys. So I let her."

"Are you kidding!? After getting injured like that!?"

"I'm sorry Sokka! Okay? That's what she wanted!"

"Ugh. So where do you think she's off at now?"

"I have no idea..."

* * *

"Nephew, I do hope you are alright. And please, thank that waterbending girl for me. She nearly saved my life." whispered Iroh. He'd been staying in a village, a few miles from there. Looking out into the forest, he sighed and went back in the home he'd slept at.

* * *

"Are... are you going to... hurt me?" she asked, trembling with fear. Even her voice sounded like she was scared. 

_No. I'm not._

He shook his head 'No' as honestly as he could. She still didn't look convinced. So what he did next surprised both of them. He suddenly pulled her in again, but this time, for a... hug? She began to cry again.

"Please... just, let me go." she whispered.


End file.
